Dual Sympathy
by Horselvr4evr123
Summary: Years ago a research facility was shut down. The Military thought it was gone, but, now that they have Ed and Al, horrible truths are out in the open. The connection between mind and soul has been bridged, humans and beasts linked. Parental!Roy/Ed
1. Chapter 1

It's certainly about time I got one of these up. Just like I promised I would in Fading Existence (side glances at shameless advertising...go read if you haven't! XD ) I've started the process of uploading the first chapter of each of my main stories that have been sitting on the sorta-back burner. Please read them and give them a chance. They have been beta'd and revised but neither I nor my beta are claiming perfection so if you do by chance see any mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix them. Hopefully there aren't any, or at least very minor ones that won't leave you confused. I've run into that before while reading other stories. I remember tilting my head and wondering what the word had once been before it had been beaten, mangled, tortured, chewed, swallowed, spit back out, and beaten again before we readers view it. (sweat-drop) So...yeah.

Oh! And within the next week or so I'll be putting a poll up in my profile asking all of you which of my main stories I should continue. These have been sitting around for a _**LONG**_ time. Strange how I was more busy during the summer but when school starts again I've got more free time. Well, not for long as I'll hopefully be getting my first (_**FIRST!!! O.o**_) job soon. But I'll still be updating frequently. I will be trying to get back into the swing of things, actually writing new stuff instead of going over old works. Yes! That means I'll be getting back to working on Dark Side of the Moon with my co-author DemonAlchemist5. So expect the next chapter soon. I apologize for the profusely for the long wait.

Without further rambling, here's the first chapter (more like a prologue) of Dual Sympathy!

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_**Dual Sympathy Ch. 1**_

Roy Mustang sighed, propping his elbow atop the desk, his head resting on his palm as he read the missing persons report on his desk for what felt like the billionth time. It had been nearly a month since the Elric brothers had gone missing. There had been reports of sightings of their being taken away into the night from their hotel room, both knocked out cold and slung over the stranger's shoulders.

The colonel was miffed none of the few witnesses they had were able to get a good look at the kidnapper's face. Nor had anyone a clue as to the motive. Perhaps on the mission they had seen something they weren't supposed to or met someone connected to what they were supposed to have been investigating...?

"Sir?" The door opened and Riza Hawkeye walked in, papers tucked beneath one arm as the other shut the door behind her. "Is everything alright?"

Roy closed his eyes, pushing the paper to the side before folding his hands and resting his chin on his knuckles. Exhausted midnight-blue orbs watched the first lieutenant with an air of weary irritation.

They had searched and searched and...found nothing. No trace of either brother. It was disheartening, for those in the office were like an extended family of sorts: dysfunctional—oh, very much so—but close nonetheless. It was difficult for them to accept that the boys may never be found.

Mustang was determined to be the last to lose hope if that were to ever happen. They were precious to him in a way he couldn't quite explain, even if Edward could be quite the annoying little pipsqueak. Both Fullmetal and Alphonse held a quality about them that made even the selfish and proud hold respect for them.

Through thick and thin they had stuck together, were strong and worked like a well-oiled machine. So it seemed almost right that if one went missing, so did the other. That didn't make it any more acceptable, however.

"You're still thinking about them, aren't you, sir." It was less of a question than a statement. She knew him too well to know what was on his mind even if he tried hard not to show it.

Without a word, it was understood that he was, and wished to be left alone to his thoughts. Quietly Hawkeye placed the stack of paperwork that required the alchemist's signature over the report. She met his eyes with a knowing smile then briskly left the room.

"Another day of paperwork, another day of 'what-if's." And with a deeper sigh than the first, Roy pulled out the pen from the small base attached to his desk's top and signed his name with _flourish_ and a _flick_.

FMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMA

In a hidden lab unknown by the general population, and even missed by everyday hikers, was a room mostly devoid of light. The only light came from each of the cylindrical tanks mounted against the far wall, opposite the only door to the room. Each gave off a soft glow, creating grotesque shadows that left their true forms to one's imagination. Condensed water vapor clung desperately to the glass casings, some collecting to form water droplets, growing in size and speed as they fell to the metal base designed to collect the runaways.

Jutting out slightly from the side of the large container of more than eight feet in height and three feet in diameter were the controls and settings to operate the machinery to keep its contents stable. In the upper right hand corner of the screen above the keypad was the current temperature. Readings on a pulse resided on the left half of the screen, above the respiration status.

To the right of the screen itself were three small colored circles, the top one currently lit up green. Below it was an orange circle, and below that a red. Only one of the containers was activated, holding something precious but obscured by the warmer air's condensation.

Standing before the large device was a figure clad in a white lab coat over a black shirt and slacks. Scrutinizing blue orbs behind thick, rounded glasses observed the screen, the light scritching of a pencil to paper breaking the steady _beeps_ from the monitored heart rate.

"Soon you will be ready for the transference." The man smirked darkly, sticking his writing utensil into its plastic holder on the clipboard. With a firm but delicate swipe of the hand over the glass just above eye-level, the small cleared section revealed a yellow-tinted liquid substance inside.

Connected to wires and tubes attached to a cup over the mouth and nose was a human, suspended in the thick creation of different components to keep the body alive and healthy. Through one of the tubes fitted through the cup came ground up and liquefied food and water, fed directly into the person's stomach. The other tube went straight into the lungs, driven by the machine to imitate breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

Perfection. A term they had been striving for for years, and here it was, soon to be. If his experiment went according to plan, he would have discovered not only a new way to transfer souls to another body, but also a way to create a new body from pieces of other live ones and fit a suitable soul into it.

The equivalence had already been accounted for. Souls of the starting creatures in exchange for the soul to be implanted. Then there was the discovery of the connection between the mind and the soul. It was simply amazing.

Body, the physical means of existence.

Mind, the intelligence level and creation, storage, and restoration of memories and experience.

And Soul, the essence of one's being, giving to the body life and purpose for movement, and to the mind the power and opportunity to learn and grow.

Trial and error was a process in which they had discovered a link between the soul and mind, even while the former had been moved from the body into another. Memories, though vague and sometimes in bits and pieces, still somehow became ingrained in the new body. But how those two forms of life could still affiliate with one another even after being separated still had yet to be solved. And what good scientist left a question such as that to be unanswered?

The scientist inserted his still damp hand into his pocket, taking one last look at his future. If this soul took to the soon-to-be-readied body, and perhaps even kept the mind and soul bridged, he could possibly have stumbled upon the newest discovery of furthering the lives of all living creatures and the creation of a new weapon against the military.

"Fools for not believing this was possible," he hissed, pulling his hand out of his pocket and pushing the glasses up to sit more comfortably on the bridge of his nose with his middle finger.

Turning on his sneakered heels, he walked confidently to the door. With a hiss, silver doors lined with yellow and black striped tape slid open, then shut behind the man as he walked away.

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Please be kind and review to let me know what you think of this so far. Thanks! (smiles)


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here's the second chapter of Dual Sympathy. Hope you like!

Disclaimer: Like Ed is tall, I own FMA. Since we all know Ed is anything but tall (narrowly misses random flying objects), I regrettably don't own FMA. Like any other fan I wish I did. Poo...

Question. Is it "Hun" or "Hon"? You'll understand what I'm asking when you read it.

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_**Dual Sympathy**_

_**Chapter 2**_

Clouds rolled in, covering the sky in a dreary gray that matched Roy's melancholy mood. He sat alone in his house, comfortable in his recliner in front of the fireplace, throwing his head back as he swallowed the whole shot of whiskey.

So much had happened since their disappearance. Some good, some bad. His recent promotion from colonel to brigadier general would be effective this coming Monday, as well as his subordinates'. They each had been granted a level higher in rank for their services to the Amestrian Military.

At this point, though, what did it matter? He had failed another of his men—two, to be more precise, even if Alphonse wasn't technically part of the military. And he felt so damn ashamed of it, so tired of being a failure. But what more was there to do? Legitimate leads were running thin and no recent sightings of the Elric Brothers had been reported.

Cold hands held the shot-glass between them, dulled oceans watching the few drops left at the bottom swirl as he moved the cup in small circles. Mostly melted pieces of ice clinked against the sides.

The grandfather clock behind him against the wall chimed, pulling the colonel from his thoughts. Blinking back sleep, he twisted in his seat and stared at the old clock for a few moments, slowly realizing just how late it was. _'Almost twelve. Damn.'_

Roy relaxed his body, facing the fireplace again, and watched the wild flames behind the elegant black screen decorated with twisted and criss-crossing plants with birds and other small animals on various branches. A gift from his late mother years ago, one of the rare things he ever received from either of his parents ever since joining the army.

"_Roy! How could you make such a rash decision!" Mrs. Mustang shouted at her eighteen year old son. Stiffly she walked up to him, black eyes hard and firm as they stared into Roy's equally dark orbs. _

_Before he could even think about reacting, she pulled back her hand and slapped his cheek with great force, enough to snap his head to the side and leave a red handprint. Skin at the impact point stung, the teen grimacing as he lightly touched it with one hand._

_Ever so carefully he met her eyes again, his resolve ever-obvious and decision clear._

"_There's talk of war, Roy. _War_. I am _not_ letting them send out my son to die in a battle the people know nothing about." The woman sighed, lowering her hands to grasp her skirt, a normal sign of her distress._

_Young azure orbs, free of permanent images of __burning__ bodies and __destroyed__ buildings, softened as he stood up and embraced the one who helped give him life. Holding her tight, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Mom, but I've already made up my mind. I'm going to join the Military as a State Alchemist and follow in my father's footsteps."_

_He pulled away, both of them staring into the other's eyes. Finally she sighed, leaning her head on her son's chest. Already he was taller than her. She cracked a sad smile, unable to help herself._

"_You know they only accept one of the hundreds of participants to be their new Dog of the Military__,__ as far as alchemists go," she murmured softly. Roy rested his chin atop her head._

_"I know. But Riza's father taught me Flame Alchemy and I intend to use it to help and protect people who are otherwise defenseless." Strong arms squeezed gently before letting go. _

_"I won't forgive you for this, you know." the woman said, turning around and walking to the stairs. Roy bent down and picked up the brown suitcase beside him before leaving without another word._

A breeze blew in cool air from an open window, whipping gently through dark bangs over closed eyes. As if influenced by an outside force, the small gust of wind made its way to the small embers in the fireplace, blowing out the last of its dwindling glow.

FMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMA

Windows of the large buildings reflected the hues of the morning sun as it rose over the city of Central. The citizens, old and young, were out and about, busy with either play time, errands, or just leisure relaxation.

Roy picked his way through the crowds, refraining from literally snapping at the next ignorant person who bumped into his shoulder or got in his way. Last night he had woken up at three in the morning to find himself still in his recliner, muscles sore and joints stiff. Begrudgingly, he had forced himself to his feet, placed his empty glass in the sink, and trudged sleepily to his bed. And now he was paying heavily for such discomfort. He wasn't exactly young anymore, though not old enough to be "old," either. But that didn't stop his joints from protesting. _Ungrateful little bastards._

The noise level was irritating—all the yelling of vendors selling their products, screaming of kids as they ran around playing tag, and random barking of stray dogs. He really needed to get to Headquarters before he lost it.

A headache threatened to form so he decided to take a back road, one he rarely took but knew of for these situations. His hangover was very mild but it was still there, and after all of the intense noise brought on by the busy people of Central bustling about to buy their weekly groceries and what not, it had started to get worse.

Slow circles of fingertips to his temples began to alleviate the building pressure in his skull, but only enough to be bearable. The walk was slow and nothing but the dark gray clouds above kept him occupied as he made his way to Headquarters. Small rays of light broke through thin cracks in the cloud-cover, illuminating random areas of the city, one being most of the entrance to the alleyway that lead to the street ahead.

As he neared the opening, a couple walked by. The female was latched onto her boyfriend's arm, head bent against his shoulder. He walked out just after they passed, listening in on their conversation, having nothing better to do. Maybe they'd gossip about something stupid that he could use as material to occupy himself with on his way to work. If it were good enough, maybe he could laugh at whomever it was they were talking about while he did his paperwork.

The girl pulled away slightly, and from what the colonel could see from his angle, a surprised look was on her face. "Seriously? That Fullmetal kid's missing?"

That caught Roy's attention. _'Time to change course,'_ he thought to himself as he turned on his heels and slowly began to follow the couple. He still had an hour to kill, so why not see if these people may have heard anything regarding his missing subordinate and his brother. He had doubts that the girl knew; she had seemed surprised to hear Edward was missing, which was strange, considering he'd been gone for a few weeks now. The guy, however...

"Yeah, Hon, didn't you hear? One day nearly a month ago he and his brother had been knocked out and kidnapped from their hotel room in...some city." He scratched his head, looking up at the darkened sky. "I don't really remember."

"Huh. That's too bad. They're just kids, really. Has anyone seen or heard from them since then?" The girl asked, pulling in closer to the point that if she tried to get any closer they'd fall over in a tangle of limbs.

"No, I don't—wait." The man paused, holding his chin with his free hand. Roy increased his pace, trying hard to remain incognito as he did. This random stranger may have heard something, _anything_ that could help the "M.I.A. Fullmetal Case."

"I think there was this guy that had stayed at the hotel that claimed to have known where those boys might be." Roy's spirits just soared, his lips twitching in a pitiful attempt at a hopeful smile. However, all good things must come to an end.

"But I heard that guy'd been just let out of the loony bin and so the police didn't take him seriously. I mean, come on, who'd believe some drunk, half-ass, psycho—"

"Which could be our only lead to finding Fullmetal and his brother," Mustang cut in, suddenly beside the two. They jumped in surprise, eyes wide, bodies frozen in shock.

"Uh..." The male stupidly trailed off, blue eyes trailing over Roy's uniform. He caught sight of the stripes and stars signifying the officer's rank and immediately snapped into a sharp salute. The girlfriend glanced blankly between the two, confused as to what was going on, even more so as to her boyfriend's strange reaction.

"At ease..." Roy rolled his hand, signaling for a name.

"Entering Private Geroli, sir," was the reply, his hand lowering to his side. Roy smiled, though it didn't carry any hint off happiness. Just the knowledge of the possible futures of this boy, knowing he would become another dog of the Military and all of the horrible things he was more than likely going to be forced to see and do, just like himself back in Ishbal, sucked all of the life out of that smile.

"Advice from a colonel to a private," The colonel began, his tone serious. Geroli nodded, trained to be ready to listen to each and every order given by superior officers.

"Watch your back. Corruption runs high even in the Military. Whatever friends you have, keep close and help them help you. Trust me, when in a time of war or even just rough times, they can be the rock that keeps you anchored." Finally a light broke through all of that negativity, his smile becoming just a little genuine as he spoke of his close friends.

_'Fullmetal and Alphonse could be considered up there. And because of that, I'll do all in my power to get them back safe and sound.'_

Geroli gave him an odd look but nodded nonetheless. Coming from a legend, he intended to take such an experienced man's advice. It made his decision to enter the Military feel all that much more important.

Changing gears, Roy cleared his throat and met the brunette's eyes.

"I couldn't help but hear your conversation. You said there was someone who may know the whereabouts of the Elric Brothers?" Roy asked, folding his arms. He watched them as patiently as he could, but his hangover was starting to return full-force. Barely, just barely, he was regretting drinking that shot of whiskey the previous night. Thank goodness he had one workday of this week left before he had his weekend to relax.

Hearing what this soon-to-be private had to say was bound to cut that short. Could that be considered a good thing? It better be a fucking worthy lead.

"Uh, yes, sir. From what I heard, he was one of the guys staying on their floor."

Roy immediately asked, "Did you catch his name?"

The young man thought about it for a moment, his girlfriend watching him. "No, I'm very sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I didn't. It may have been mentioned, but I can't for the life of me remember."

Mustang sighed, one gloved hand falling to his side, the other resting on his hip. "Thank you. This may be a new lead we can follow after so many have gone cold. At this point it's all we've got." Roy smiled and saluted.

Without hesitation Geroli smiled, returning the gesture with energy and enthusiasm no experienced soldier gave anymore. And one day that naïve salute would be worn and torn into something akin to pure habit to respond to those who were said to deserve it, not to those you knew deserved it no matter what was said by those ridiculous rules of proper conduct.

"Have a nice day, sir." Geroli waved goodbye and the pair carried on down the street, but before they were out of earshot the girl asked a question.

"Who was that man?" She asked innocently. Just the way the young man jerked away, Roy could tell he was shocked, no doubt giving her an incredulous look.

"How can you—that was Colonel Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist, famous hero of Ishbal..." But try as he might, she still seemed clueless. Now just out of comprehensive earshot, he could hear her sigh and suddenly bring up another topic, one that seemed to leave her boyfriend in the dust. There were some things guys were interested in, and others just girls understood. The latter of the two applied to the couple as they turned the corner, his head tilted comically to the side in defeat as he pretended to listen.

"Young love. Wonder how long it'll last." Roy paused then shrugged, turning to head back to Headquarters, his legs taking him quickly to his destination. "Like most, it probably won't last the end of the day."

Ten minutes later found him holding up his watch to gain entrance to the Military Compound. It was a large place, beautiful merely to keep up an image. They couldn't really care less how the gardens looked, or if the paint was new or peeling. Of course there were a few that actually did care, but as their priorities became straightened out during the course of their years working here, it usually dropped to the bottom or disappeared altogether.

Up two sets of stairs, down plain wallpaper-covered hallways, and through his outer office doorway, Roy walked through the larger room to his inner sanctuary, save for the paperwork he knew he'd inevitably have to sign. Though this new lead could get him out of it...

Hand still on the doorknob to his office, Roy turned to a heavy-set, short-haired, redheaded second lieutenant sitting at his desk playing chess with an older man whose hair was nearly faded to gray.

"Breda, Falman, I want you to look up who was occupying the rooms on the same level as Fullmetal." The sudden command snapped both subordinates from their game. The older of the two stood up and saluted, the other following suit, a confused look on their faces.

"You found another lead, sir?" Falman asked as he relaxed. Roy shrugged, turning the knob and opening the door.

"It's a long shot, but even the most unlikely and improbable lead could be the answer to our problem: the Elrics' whereabouts." Short speech finished, Roy left the two to their new jobs, the door shutting behind him with a distinctive click.

Just in that moment, Riza Hawkeye walked into the room, a stack of paperwork in her hands for the colonel to sign. The two officers were racing about, one on the phone dialing the hotel's number, the other digging through piles of closed-case folders, throwing ones that weren't his target to the side rather haphazardly.

A thin blond eyebrow rose, eye twitching at the sight of her office being ransacked for who-knew-what reason.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" She asked, voice calm but full of venom. Without her having to pull out her gun, they stopped what they were doing, glancing fearfully up at the blond first lieutenant they all loved but equally feared.

"Oh, hey, Hawkeye! Just looking for Ed and Al's case file." Breda grinned, holding up a folder. He finally looked at it and his grin widened. Turning to Falman, he said, "Found it!"

"Good. Now if I can just—Ah, yes, hello. This is Warrant Officer Vato Falman calling..." The rest was lost to Riza's question.

"Are you saying you two found a lead?" Just like the rest of the small group, she had been deeply affected by Edward and Alphonse's disappearance all that time ago. They were like sons to her and to hear they had been kidnapped was a "parent's" worst fear. Even after all this time there hadn't been a name or face to match the one who had taken them away. It had to have been someone strong, or at least smart, enough to be able to catch them off guard and knock the two out like they had.

Breda shook his head, confusing the woman for a moment. He jabbed his head in the direction of the inner office. "Nah, the colonel did. Came in not too long ago and asked us to come up with a list of everyone who had a room on the same level as the Boss and Al during their stay."

Riza nodded but wondered why he had suddenly required such information. Falman finished writing down some names on a scratch piece of paper, thanked the woman on the other end, and hung up. With a weary look he stood up, paper in hand, and walked it over to Hawkeye.

There were at least nine names on the list. For whatever reason, the colonel was interested in finding someone. And she was going to be the first to ask.

Falman politely opened the door for her, considering her hands were full carrying the two-inch stack of paperwork. Nodding her thanks, she entered.

Smoothly, Riza walked over to the desk, placing the neat pile of papers on top and purposefully in the colonel's full view. Tired eyes glared at the parchment, wishing _so_ badly he could just incinerate them, claim he hadn't received any of the stupid waste-of-time paperwork, and call it a day. But of course he had his lovely first lieutenant who would pull out her gun and aim it at his head if he should so much as think about skipping out on the boring but necessary part of his job.

Damn rank requirements. Besides, how many people really needed his signature, anyway?

Looking from the blond back to the papers, he sighed, settling on _a lot_.

Five signatures in, he looked up, noticing Hawkeye was still standing there in front of his desk, reading a small slip of paper.

"Dare I ask what that paper's for?" He held up a hand as she opened her mouth to speak. Riza narrowed her eyes but let him have some fun. She could tell he would make some kind of joke, considering the playful smirk he was wearing.

"Wait, don't tell me. It's for more paperwork?" Again she tried to speak but he cut in, much to her chagrin. "Of course. What else could it be for?" He asked rhetorically.

Making sure she was making it conspicuously inconspicuous, Riza let her hand hover over her holstered gun, a silent threat that if he didn't let her speak, he would have so many holes in his body so fast, he wouldn't even be able to begin to fathom what hit him.

"Sir, this is the list of people you requested," Hawkeye told him, handing over the slip to Roy who looked it over, smirk long gone.

"Hmm...we'll have to narrow it down," Mustang murmured to himself before looking up at Riza. "Do background checks on all of these people. Search specifically for histories of being recently released from a mental institution."

Though it was a peculiar request, she would follow it. Not that she exactly had a choice in the matter.

Saluting, she said simply before leaving, "Yes, sir."

When the door was closed completely, Roy shoved the stack aside and leaned his elbows atop the wood desk, head in his hands. Hopefully, for both the sakes of the boys and those close to them, this lead would help Roy and his subordinates find the missing Elric Brothers before anything bad happened. If something hadn't happened already.

FMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMA

Small lights mounted on the walls in far-spaced intervals flickered, but they didn't need any more light than the old lamps gave them. Besides, their materials were already in place. All that was needed now was to activate the array.

A bright blue light accompanied by sparks made the large room glow for a moment before it died down. Unheard before over the crackling of high concentrations of alchemic energy, the creatures', now creature's, sounds of pain faded into nothing.

Weakly, the two headed beast raised one of its heads, serpent-shaped with two horns aimed backward at a low forty-five degree angle atop its head, to look around. Quickly it was drained of whatever energy it had and soon joined its other head, that of a lion in resemblance, on the ground.

Whimpers rumbled from the back of their throats in conjoined unity, expressing the pain it was in, how much it was hurting. From the shadows, the brown-haired scientist stepped forward, kneeling in front of its heads. Two sets of eyes managed to meet his soft, sympathetic pair. Confidently but kindly he reached out, stroking its feline head like a master to their pet.

"It's alright, my pet. The pain will disappear shortly. You will be alright." He didn't expect it to understand him, but from past experience dealing with animals, mainly chimeras, he knew that just the soothing sound of one's voice and a few soft touches of comfort not only calmed the creature down, but also began the formation of a bond between creator and chimera.

"Your pain shall be over soon," he reassured as he stood up. Still trying to catch its breath, the chimera curled up on itself and closed its eyes, trusting this human that nothing would happen to it. He was the only thing in its world of pain and severe confusion that made sense, and like any desperate creature, it was going to hold onto its only stationary pillar in the massive flood of mixed thought and burning nerves.

Out of its view, the scientist looked over his shoulder to one of his assistants and nodded. Silently he watched from against the wall, arms folded and face blank, as one of his men attached an array drawn in human blood onto its skin and activated it.

Without so much as a cry, the creature's soul was expelled from its body, another soul taking its place. A partial one, at best. Throughout their tests they hadn't been able to fully attach a soul yet, but as time went on, they were making progress and he hoped they would finally have a breakthrough with this one.

In a smaller room adjacent to the one the chimera was created and killed, two golden eyes jolted open from within their owner's glass container. Seconds later they drooped weakly, the prisoner's body shaking slightly until finally fatigue of a non-physical kind made their now-glazed eyes close.

_'Help...me...'_ was their last pleading thought for anyone to save them before falling into darkness once again.

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_**VERY IMPORTANT NOTE!!!**_ Once the next chapter of Soul of the Guardian, Aquamarine, and this story, Dual Sympathy, are all posted, I will be putting up a poll on my profile and the story that will be most focused on will all be up to **_YOU_** readers! So please for the sake of yourselves and the other readers, VOTE! And review. Reviews are nice. They're like chocolate...yums...

Oh! And one last thing I almost forgot to mention. I have started thinking of ideas for a sequel to my oneshot Edvy. I have the Prologue typed up and some, if not most, of the first chapter typed up as well. I randomly started thinking about it recently, especially now that the actual writing part of my writer's block has been mysteriously and sudden lifted. Kinda odd how that happened, but I'm not complaining. XD Let me know your opinions on this too, please!


	3. Chapter 3

Welcome to the third chapter of Dual Sympathy!

I think I'll leave the Poll open just a little longer. Another week perhaps? So, if you haven't voted, please do. I want to make sure I base whatever decision I make on a large number of votes instead of just a few, as that would be unfair to the other readers who may have another opinion but just didn't say anything. (hint hint)

Disclaimer: Uh...no. My name isn't Hiromu Arakawa. It's not even Japanese. Meaning: Me no own FMA!

Enjoy!

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_**Dual Sympathy**_

_**Chapter 3**_

Roy woke with a start from his sleeping position over his paperwork on his desk by an impatient but still polite clearing of Riza's throat. Blinking rapidly to regain full consciousness, he looked up, meeting her stern—was that urgency?—gaze. For a moment she glanced downward then back, a silent hint for him to do the same.

Slowly he did so and came upon a folder she was holding out for him to take. The woman opened her mouth to say something but he grabbed it and began leafing through it before she could utter a sound.

"Sir," Hawkeye finally interjected. Roy paused and diverted his concentrated eyes up to her. "I believe we may have narrowed it down to a single person, sir."

Unable to resist, Mustang rolled his eyes and replied dryly, "Yes, Lieutenant, I can see that." A few more flipping of pages and he stopped, eyes flickering back and forth across the text. At the end he held a hand up to his chin, thinking intently about what to do next.

They had a man who fit the given description. Stayed on the same floor as Edward and Alphonse, and was released from a mental facility a mere four months ago.

"A Tom Brunry." Hmm. That name sounded eerily familiar. But that held little importance. What mattered now was to talk to him and squeeze whatever useful information from him that they could. He was all they had to go on at this point, and he would be damned if he let this last remaining chance slip through his fingers.

Slowly he stood from his chair, orders on the tip of his tongue. "Hawkeye, gather the team and get us a car." She gave him a confused look to which he smiled in response. "We're going to meet this Mr. Brunry and see if he can be of any help to us."

The blond gun-woman nodded, saluting sharply, before briskly leaving the office.

Roy sighed and ran a gloved hand through his hair. The light whistle of the evening breeze caught his attention briefly. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the window, hands folded behind his back as he watched a reddening leaf fall in spirals and arcs until it skimmed the ground then caught another current, sailing freely out of sight.

A knock at his door recalled him back to the world of the present situation. Mustang turned around to face Hawkeye whose hand was up at a salute, face stoic. But he could see the eager glint to get this going in her brown eyes. "Ready and waiting, sir."

Roy nodded and followed his team to the black military car already started up, Jean Havoc in the driver's seat. The colonel opened the passenger's seat and hopped inside, his lieutenant sliding in beside Breda and Falman.

The car pulled out of the parking garage, heading in the direction of the house. As they came to a stop at a red light, Roy glanced at the rear view mirror and realized something. He twisted to face the others. "Where's Fuery?"

Hawkeye promptly answered, "The master sergeant is helping to repair the communication lines back east where Edward had been on his last mission. You remember that, sir."

Roy cringed. Oh, he remembered it, alright. It had earned him more paperwork and more phone calls to help deal with the flow of complaints about a certain little blond alchemist who couldn't keep his trap shut or contain his temper when someone insinuated something pertaining to his being small. Whether they were trying to or not.

Apparently, he had gotten angry at someone and in a fit of rage used the telephone lines as material for a transmutation, among other things. It was aimed to piss off the offender, though with the town involved, it had turned into something a bit more than that.

Breda laughed at his superior officer's obvious disapproval. His face was priceless, being scrunched slightly, eyebrows clinched into a low 'V,' mouth pulled taut into a thin line rounded by a slight downward curve—the makings of a frown.

Blue orbs jumped to the second lieutenant, glaring darkly at the man. Though he did shut up, his smile never left. Well, it was better, Roy thought as he turned to face the front.

Another few side streets, twists, and turns down seemingly unknown roads, at least to Roy, and they would be there. Now if only Havoc would ignore the speed limit...

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They pulled up to a relatively new house. Two stories tall, it held a mixed sense of good and bad. The white paint around the house wasn't too old but the look of chipped paint in various places showed it hadn't been taken care of since it had been initially painted.

Weeds had sprung up from beneath the browning grass, yellow dandelions brightening up the bleak yard. Dust-covered blinds were pulled shut, blocking the inside from the rest of the world, making it difficult to determine the condition of what the interior looked like. But by the signs of the outside, Roy was fairly certain he had an idea.

Roy was the first to exit the car, followed by Riza and the rest. Havoc locked the car and came up from behind. As they approached the door, they noticed the clean doormat and equally nice door. It definitely stood out from the rest of the place.

Riza stepped forward and knocked on the door, returning to her position beside the colonel. Roy glanced at her, giving her a look. Watching the door, she merely shrugged and whispered her response, "You hesitated, sir."

The door opened just as he was about to make a remark, making him close his mouth and turn his attention back to the subject at hand. Slapping on a smile, Roy greeted the man.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Brun—" Roy flinched at the slammed door in his face, "—ry."

Turning to his subordinates, Roy raised an eyebrow, "Did I do something wrong?"

Breda chuckled and Havoc snickered as he leaned on the chubbier man's shoulder. "Nice going, Chief. Scared the man off with your 'friendly smile.'"

Hawkeye sighed as the men bickered. Well, Roy was doing the bickering while the other two just laughed. Falman just stayed silent, watching the three in amusement at their childishness. She approached the door again and knocked, this time standing front and center.

"Go away!" came a weak, nervous voice from the other side of the door. The three men stopped their rather ridiculous exchange and Roy decided to take it, again, from here.

"Mr. Brunry, we have only come to ask—"

"The Military locked me up! There's no way I'm gonna talk to you!" The disgruntled voice yelled back. Roy groaned and messaged his temples. What the hell was this guy's problem? Yes, the Military was—wait a minute. The Military was responsible for throwing him in the asylum? Interesting.

"Mr. Brunry, we are here to follow a lead that could help us—"

"I'm not helping you!" the man interrupted yet again, making Roy very tempted to just burn the door down and force entry. But that would leave a bad mark on his record if he did so, even if it was for an important reason.

Riza held up her hand, signaling her superior to let her have a chance. Still steaming, he reluctantly agreed.

"Sir, we wish only to ask you a few simple questions and we'll be on our way. No harm will come to you." She spoke calmly, waiting patiently for a response. The sound of a chain rattling against a metal holder made them tense in anticipation. He was unchaining his door, which meant he was going to open it.

Alas, the door opened as expected, but only enough for him to peek out at them. Hazel eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What the hell do you want from me?"

Havoc rolled his eyes from the spot he was leaning against next to the door and out of sight of the man. When he pushed off to finally speak up, he startled the man enough for him to try to slam the door shut with haste.

Roy had had enough of this nonsense and pushed against the door with one hand, the other gripping the doorjamb. Riza's eyes widened at the colonel's audacity to keep the door open and, from the looks of it, force himself inside.

Immediately she wrapped her arms around his waist and used all of her strength to pull him away. It was difficult but she finally managed. They stumbled backward, and if it hadn't been for Havoc and Breda to support them from behind, they would have fallen down the small porch steps. The door slammed shut with a few too many clicks. Roy stopped his struggling for a moment. How many locks did this guy have?

For a few seconds they waited to see if there were anymore, but when silence met their ears, they came to the same conclusion there were no more to be locked. Taking this moment of Riza's slackened grip, Roy tore away from her and ran up to the house. This time Breda and Havoc grabbed each of his arms and pulled the man away, very awestruck by his strange and rather violent behavior.

"Sir! Calm down!" Riza ran in front of him and grabbed onto his shoulders, doing her best to avoid his rather actively moving legs.

"Let me go! That's an order!" He grunted as he once again tried to loosen his subordinates' grips, but that only made them hold on tighter to the point he began losing feeling in each limb.

"I'm not going to let this lead on finding Fullmetal get away! The sooner we get this guy to talk, the sooner we can find them! I'm _not_ giving up on them!" Mustang growled at the woman who tightened her grip for a moment before relaxing. Brown eyes, usually sharp but in this moment soft as velvet, looked into his dark pair. "Sir, we will do all in our power to get this information, but—" she gave him a stern look, "we will not force him to come out—"

All heads snapped to the sound of multiple locks being opened followed by the slight creaking open of the door. Nervously, the man asked from the small crack in the door, "Did you say you wanted to know about Fullmetal?"

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Havoc flopped lazily onto the couch, watching the others do the same but in a more dignified manner. Roy was the last to sit on the couch, the only other seat being next to Falman. Like the rest of the inside of the house, it contrasted with the outside by a landslide. The walls were clean, carpet without a single stain, no cobwebs in sight. It made him wonder why the outside looked like it had come from a low budget horror movie parodying a graveyard but without the tombstones. It certainly had the creepy factor.

No pictures in picture frames sat on tables or on the mantle in the other room. Nor were any up on the walls or any other place imaginable. It seemed there was only this man and his house. The place was nice, on the inside, but felt unbearably empty.

He cleared his throat as Tom came into the room with a tray of snacks and some water.

"Please excuse my earlier behavior, Mr. Brunry. It's been difficult these last few weeks without any solid leads, and when this one came up, well..." Roy trailed off, instead grabbing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich triangle from the silver tray and taking a bite of it.

Tom nodded, not looking any of the soldiers straight in the eye. He pulled up a chair and sat down with a sigh, finally looking at them, eyes observing them with a crisp look, as if looking for something. A small smile formed, as though satisfied with something.

"You're different from the rest," Tom stated as he leaned forward to grab a sandwich for himself.

Breda licked his fingers and asked as he finished chewing on his piece, "Oh yeah? How so?"

"You're not—I don't know. There's just something different about you. From the display from earlier," Roy clenched his teeth and just barely hid his blush of embarrassment, "I could tell there was a sense of loyalty among you that I haven't witnessed in the Military in all my years of living. It's actually quite refreshing."

The officers glanced at each other for a moment before Riza spoke up. "What are you getting at, sir?"

Tom laughed. "You're a lot closer than any other team in the Military. Friends, perhaps?" Riza eyed him, nodding slowly. There was something in the way he looked at them. It was as if he was able to peel away their outer skin and peer into their normally protected layer beneath. Who exactly was this man?

"Mr. Brunry—"

"Please, call me Tom."

Roy closed his eyes and leaned his head back, hand over his eyes as he nodded. "Very well. Tom, do you by chance have any information on the whereabouts of the Fullmetal Alchemist? My subordinate and his brother have been missing and, as I'm sure you've gathered, this is our last chance at getting anything to help with the investigation."

Tom was quiet as he sat there thinking. He stood up abruptly and left the room. Mustang peeked from between his fingers at Riza who shrugged, unsure herself as to the reason of his sudden departure.

Havoc leaned over the armrest of the couch to see if he could peer into the other room but quickly slid down when the man came back in. Moving the tray from the center to the far end, he placed a small box down onto the table. Silently he opened it and began rummaging through it.

"Aha! I still have it." Tom smiled as he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Roy, but Riza snatched it before he could. She read it over, ignoring the men reading it from over her shoulder.

"Tom, what are these numbers?" Roy asked, trying to make heads or tails of them.

"Sir, these are coordinates," Breda answered. In a whisper, he asked Riza if he could see the small slip of paper. She handed it over to him then turned back to the graying brunette.

"What are these coordinates for? If I may ask." Falman took an uncut sandwich square and bit off a corner piece as he waited. Tom once again rummaged through the small black box and pulled out a few folded pieces of paper and handed them to Roy, who got them before Riza had a chance to take them.

Navy blue eyes skimmed the pages, but only when he got towards the bottom did he pause to reread a section before staring at Tom incredulously. "Chimera experiments?"

Tom shook his head, his face suddenly grim as he interlaced his hands in his lap. "I'm afraid it's far worse than that. It's been years, nearly ten, since I worked there last, but they were on a far worse track than what you're thinking."

They all looked up at him, Breda swallowing a larger piece than he'd meant to. Havoc slapped his back a few times until the redhead assured him he was fine. Ignoring this, Roy and Riza asked at the same time, "What was it?"

Roy leaned forward on the edge of his seat. He didn't like where this was going. What could be worse than chimera experiments? Unless—

"Human-chimera experiments?" The colonel barely got out, instantly remembering the case of Nina Tucker and what had happened to her. There was no way he was going to be able to live with himself if something like that happened to either of the boys. Easily he would drown in his own guilt for failing another subordinate, but not just any. This was Fullmetal and his brother they were talking about.

Tom hesitated for a moment, hazel orbs side-glancing. "Um, not quite. It's quite a bit more complicated than that. I was _expelled_ before they had their next major breakthrough, but I'm guessing the bastard managed it and is now applying those related theories to people. And those boys may be among them."

Havoc reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, eager to put one in his mouth and light it. However, Tom snatched the case from his hand before could even move to get one out. "Hey!"

Tom glared at him, holding the pack up for him to see. "No smoking while inside my house. I absolutely _hate_ it." As if to emphasize his point, Tom squeezed the pack until it imploded from the force and tossed it into the small trash bin beside the couch.

"B-but!" Havoc whined, blue eyes staring at the bin pitifully.

Riza sighed and shook her head. "Havoc, you know better than to smoke while inside." She gave him a look that made him cower back in his seat.

"Yeah, I remember." He laughed nervously before falling silent, cringing at the memory of a whole round of bullets tearing through the cigarette in his mouth, each one making it smaller and smaller. Had he not jumped back when he did, leaving the sad excuse for a cigarette behind, he most likely would have had a hole going through his mouth.

Breda scratched his head and asked, "I can't exactly pinpoint this location off the top of my head." He looked up at Tom, an eyebrow raised. "Do you know where—"

"In the forest south-southwest of Central a few miles out. _If_ they haven't changed their location since the accident." Tom relayed with practiced ease.

Roy narrowed his eyes. "What accident?"

Tom glanced down to his hands, fiddling with them subconsciously as he remembered something. Riza slid forward off the couch, kneeling in front of the man. She gave him a reassuring look, kindly asking him to answer.

He took a deep breath, calming himself, and looked up into her eyes. Forcefully she kept herself in her spot, but there was no hiding her surprise. Roy tensed at the look on Hawkeye's face. Rarely did she ever show her surprise. Usually she hid it under a mask of indifference. But this was just plain out in the open with nothing even attempting to hide it.

"Y-you're a—"

"Unfortunately, yes, though only by a small dose of DNA." Tom suddenly grabbed her hands, never losing eye contact with her. "Please. I beg you not to tell anyone. No one but you and I know what I am."

Mustang was fed up with not knowing what the hell was going on, and how Brunry was acting made him feel very uneasy.

"We won't reveal anything, but we need your full confidence," Riza assured, squeezing his hands. He sighed and nodded, pulling a hand free to rub his eyes. "And to help strengthen your trust...Do you remember Shou Tucker and what he did to his daughter?"

Their mouths fell agape at what they knew Hawkeye was going to tell the man. But they trusted her judgment and so waited quietly in the background.

Tom nodded slowly, though his slightly scrunched eyebrows showed he was still thinking. "I believe so. Didn't he make her into a chimera for his State Alchemist Recertification Exam?"

Riza smiled sadly. "Yes, Edward and Alphonse had been staying there to study for their own upcoming Entrance Exam. The poor boys had to be there for the before and after." For the first time in a long time she had to wipe away the gathering moisture at the corners of her eyes. Falman, Breda, and even Havoc seemed to be just as affected, though they didn't show signs of crying.

Mustang looked down at his hands, running over that day in his mind. He remembered hearing about it, how Tucker had used his own daughter and dog to make a talking chimera. Though he hadn't been there, Hughes had been able to show him a picture of the site of the deconstruction on the alley wall. It was horrible, and he could only speculate on how much it had hurt Ed to have to see that not long after discovering the little girl's fate. Though Alphonse had been strong for his brother, it was obvious how deeply affected he was despite being unable to really express it.

"It's okay, Tom. We won't reveal to anyone without your consent that you're a chimera, however small it may be." Riza smiled. Her eyes held no lie, no hidden intention of hurting him, of betraying him and his trust. Tom never knew how to explain how he knew, but he struck it down to animal instinct.

"Do you know what animal DNA you were combined with?" Falman inquired, taking a glass supplied on the tray and pouring in some water from the small pitcher. As he waited, he took a few sips of water to quench his dry mouth and throat.

Tom shook his head, leaning back in his seat, and sighed. "I'm afraid I have yet to figure that out. My senses are all a bit higher and I guess you could say I have a bit of animal instinct, but since there was only a little fused with mine, there's not enough to go on to pin point an animal."

"So long as it's not a dog, we're good." Breda shivered.

"And if it was?" Havoc asked, still trying to distract himself from pulling out his second pack of cigarettes, knowing if he did he would lose them too. It was enough that he would have half of the usual time left before he would have to swing by the store again and pick up some more. There was no way in hell he was going to let these people waste more.

"Well, I don't know. S'pose I could tolerate him," Breda grumbled, turning to the side, resting his elbow on the other armrest and placing his head on his hand.

"Sorry. Ignore those two." Roy rolled his eyes, finally returning his attention back to Brunry. He looked a little apprehensive but nodded.

"So, this accident. We know that you were made into a chimera, but you also said that the Military was involved. How so?" The colonel asked as Riza took her seat between the two idiots on the couch, glancing between them before shaking her head. Soon all eyes were back on Tom. He cleared his throat and gathered his thoughts. Ready, he began telling them about his time in the facility.

When he was done, just as all eyes were on him, all mouths were once again wide open. Their minds were swirling with information and things some wished they hadn't heard. Roy cupped his chin, eyes losing focus as he organized his thoughts.

The Military had been funding the experiments until the day someone had accidentally pushed Brunry into a recently used circle. Luckily they had already taken the chimera off when he fell, but there had been a little blood left from one of the base animals. He had come in to clean up the room after the transmutation so he had no idea as to what the animals had been.

They hadn't thought anything of it, and his unusual behavior after that made them believe he had gone crazy not just from the transmutation but building guilt, which was a part of it. But during the first few days after the transmutation his senses had been heightened to an almost unbearable level.

Every sound was like a blow horn set off inside his head; every sight was sharper, crisper to the point it made his eyes hurt too much to even keep them open for too long. Even his sense of smell was unbearably intense and he could smell all of the blood and death embedded in the walls and floors of the building. Agonized cries, once whispers to his ears, were like a wake-up bell, making him realize just how wrong what they were doing was.

He tried to stop them, stop the whole project, but before he could do anything major, the Military stepped in and shut them down. Unfortunately for him, they viewed him as mentally unstable and decided to take drastic and unnecessary action.

"The last thing they were doing before being officially shut down was trying to figure out a way to release the soul of one creature and implant the soul of another in its place." Tom took a deep, shaky breath. "After they achieved that, they were planning to try it on humans. See what happens. I don't know how much he's changed, but I think he'll try something more with chimeras and humans."

Roy took it in like a sponge. But the last part…It didn't sit well with him. He didn't like the idea of something like that happening to anyone. However, now that people he knew and cared about were directly involved with such a horrible act, he vowed to do all in his power to save them.

"Wait." Roy looked up at Tom who was getting ready to stand from his seat. The man sat back down as the colonel asked, "You said something about not knowing if someone's changed. Who's this someone?"

For a split second Roy swore he saw a twinge of fear on Tom's face, but as quickly as it had appeared it was gone. "He—he was the leader of our group. He was more ambitious about the project than anyone else there. Hell, most of us were there because we either had to be or because the pay was good," Tom began. Slowly he rummaged through the multitudes of papers before pulling one out.

He stared at it, eyes flickering back and forth as he read something. Finally he handed it over and leaned back in his seat, folding a leg over the other, an ankle atop the other knee, crinkling his light brown slacks.

Tom fixed his white long-sleeved shirt, fidgeting a little again. "We never knew his name, but we all referred to him as the Doctor. Stupid, considering he wasn't a real doctor, but he had special experience in medical alchemy."

"Mr. Brunry," Falman began, his common courtesy unyielding despite having permission to call the man by just his first name, "is there any other information that could be of use to us? Anything we must know before trying to get the Elrics back?"

Tom thought about it for a moment but couldn't think of anything else. "I'm afraid it's been much too long. Besides," he grinned, "I'm not exactly young anymore. My memory isn't what it used to be. That's why I store important documents and notes in this box." He tapped the box with a knuckle.

Roy stood up, stepping forward to shake the man's hand. "Thank you for everything, Tom. We appreciate it more than we can show."

Brunry smiled and nodded, returning the shake. "I'm glad to finally be helping people again, even if it's only a few. I hope you find them safe and sound. Wish you'd found me earlier." The two broke away, Roy heading towards the door, Tom saying his goodbyes to the rest.

Riza helped gather all of the papers and handed them over to the man. Grateful, he took them and neatly folded them before placing them safely inside the box.

"Good luck!" He called out from the front doorway as they got in their car and sped off. For the first time in a long time, he felt he could trust these Military Dogs. And perhaps his former partner would finally get a taste of his own medicine.

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Please review and remember to vote!


	4. Chapter 4

Okay. Where to start... Um, school, work...yeah. That pretty much explains the lack of personal time, a.k.a. writing time. I was really hoping to get this posted sooner, but life decided to throw large tests, a college-level essay, and work after school on most days and on the weekends at me. All in nearly one go. *Sigh* But, here it is. Chapter 4. Enjoy! ^^

Disclaimer: Uh, yeah. I got nothing but my laptop. But even that was bought by my Dad and under his name. So I guess I just use it? Pooh...

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_**Dual Sympathy**_

_**Chapter 4**_

The clouds hung heavily over the city, outstretching as far as the mountain range and the forest on its North East side. Silence rang through the forest, shattered only by the churning of wheels digging into the hard-packed soil. Several cars trudged through the rarely tread-through expanse of wildlife, uprooting precious flowers and homes belonging to ground dwelling animals.

This was the last thing on the minds of the humans occupying the vehicles, however. Rescuing Edward and Alphonse came first.

Roy shifted in his seat, anxious to get this mission over with. He sighed, finally leaning against the door with his elbow, hand on his palm as he stared out the window. Riza watched her superior with a tinge of sympathy. She felt just as eager to get to that compound and get the boys out of there. But that was the problem.

What if they weren't in there? Or they were, but something had happened to them? It was hard not to think of these worse case scenarios, but having been in the Military for so long, every officer always found it difficult not to calculate the worst that they could face.

Trees flew by in a green topped brown blur. Breda whispered bets to a half asleep Havoc who mumbled his opinion and money about. Fuery, for once, backed out of betting, feeling bad about doing such a thing. If circumstances were lighter then he wouldn't mind doing so, but this whole situation just made him nervous.

Falman turned the page of the file containing information on the documented case and the building's schematics from years ago. He flipped through it several times, each time coming across something that just wouldn't leave him alone.

"Breda," The redhead looked up from waving a hand in front of a sleeping Havoc's face. Leaning over toward the aging Warrant Officer, Breda took the held out folder and looked up at the man questioningly.

Falman pointed at the blank portion of the blueprints near the center. It was unlabeled, but the its size was just too big to be empty space. "This has to be something." Breda muttered, hand cupping his chin as he mulled over what that space could possibly be.

Roy looked up, interest peaking at his normally on-top-of-things subordinates' confused looks. "What's got the two of you stumped?"

They looked up at the colonel and Breda handed over the blueprints. Roy say the folder on his lap so that both Riza and he could see it. Riza's delicate brows scrunched slightly. "There's just...nothing in that area." She noted, tracing the near-square with her index finger.

Silence fell upon those in the car, thickening as the seconds rolled by.

"Or maybe there's actually something there." Roy thought aloud, finally breaking the silence. Five pairs of eyes, including Havoc who was nearly thrown out of his seat when the car ran over a rather low ditch, flickered to the colonel.

"Sir, what are you-" Hawkeye began to ask but was cut off by Falman. "You mean to suggest these people may have some sort of secret room for something they may not have wanted the Military to know about?"

Fuery lightly slapped the side of his fist onto his other palm at Mustang's nod. Hawkeye nodded slowly, thinking it over. "That would make sense. If it's not on the official blueprints, then it would be overlooked as what it appears to be, nothing."

"That's right. I saw this before on a case long ago." Mustang explained. "It was one of the first I was involved in as a member of the Military. Wasn't anything major, but the hidden room that was labeled as just empty space had illegal and tampered with items that had belonged to the Military. Stolen, of course, weeks before." Roy recited smugly, but it dissipated as indigo orbs fell back onto the various lines and phrases that marked the inner design of the building they were getting very close to.

"We're approaching our destination now, Colonel." Reported the sergeant driving the car. Too lost in his thoughts, Riza responded for him. "Thank you, Sergeant."

The jostling of the others gathering their needed equipment they had brought with them, namely guns and ammunition, snapped Roy back to reality. Within seconds he was ready to leave, fixing one of the gloves on his hand as he glared at the nearly invisible building.

The structure was painted in various random patterns of dark greens, light greens, and browns that made it nearly impossible to distinguish it from the rest of the forest.

Roy was the first to hop out, heading towards the main truck that the many underlings were to report to for further instruction. They had managed a small group of men to back him up. Had it not been for Lieutenant Hawkeye's unrivaled negotiation skills convincing the Fuhrer of this lead's importance and how this may actually turn something, or in this case some_one_, up, they would not have been able to get the back up they knew they would need.

Some were ordered to cover the outside while the rest went inside to scout ahead. Roy and his crew waited patiently by the truck. Five minutes passed as orders were being given out to the leaders of the smaller groups and the groups were taking their primary positions.

A soft wind blew through the woods, picking up small amounts of dirt and loose leaves. Roy raised a gloved hand to cover his eyes as he watched the building in anticipation. _'Stay calm, Roy. We've got to take things slowly just in case.'_

"Lieutenant?" Hawkeye stepped to stand by his side, following his gaze with a similar spark of determination. "Are we ready to proceed?"

She looked up at him and nodded. Roy rubbed his forefinger and thumb together as he did his best to hold back his impatience from public view. Being friends for so long, his loyal group of subordinates could see right through the facade of calm. He was just as ready for this as they were.

"Alright everyone, places." Mustang announced as his group, labeled Squad 1, approached the doors covered in moss and ivy. The handle, once a shiny silver, was now rusty and taken over by ivy. A spiderweb, freshly spun, lay between the handle itself and the door. There was a faintly visible straight crack up through the gathering vegetation, sure signs of recent use of the doors.

"No doubt about it." Fuery said as he gave what the could see of the door a good look over. "Someone was either here recently or are still here."

Roy nodded, silently calculating this new bout of information into the equation. If someone was here, were they dangerous? Maybe it was just a hiker who needed a place to rest and stumbled upon this place? There were too many possibilities. Caution would have to be used greatly as they treaded literally uncharted territory.

"Ready?" He asked his crew. Without hesitation they took their positions, Riza on one side of the door, Falman on the other. Fuery and Breda carefully pried open the door, each grimacing at the loud squeals the doors made as they were forced open. Just how long had it been since the hinges were given a good oil?

They relaxed when nothing of immediate danger sprang at them. Slowly they made their way inside, other small groups following behind them as back up. Each door they passed, a designated group would enter a room and scout it out for any possible information on the building and what it could contain. Usually they came up with nothing, but one large, dimly lit room changed all of that.

Colonel Mustang took the lead as they passed various cages, most filled with dead animals and chimeras. "Shit!" Havoc coughed out, quickly pressing his free arm up to cover his mouth and nose. The thick fabric was barely able to hold the nauseating smells of decaying flesh and unkempt cages at bay. But even as the seconds passed and they moved further into the room, the smells permeated their clothes and seemed to stick grossly to their skin making them shiver involuntarily.

For those who had been in the war, they struggled to suppress the memories of the numerous dead bodies and rotting corpses strewn across the ground where they had died from any number of possible causes of death.

However, this room held an even greater evil. A feeling of dread that washed over them, drenching them in shadows thicker than those covering a great portion of the room. Cages upon cages lined the room. Blood splattered the walls and glowing eyes from the creations or those yet be used for someone's sick and twisted experiments peered out from between the old metal bars.

Nothing in this room seemed to have been taken care of properly in a _long_ time. Fuery whimpered at the sight of all these abused animals. His eyes scanned the room, noting the empty food and water bowls–in some cages, what was left of them.

Pained groans met their ears, piercing through the air thick with whines and growls. These sounds were different. _Human_.

Roy tensed as he listened more intently, filtering out the horrid screeches filling the room as each creature caught their scents and the need to quench their hunger took a front row seat in their garbled minds. He narrowed his eyes, concentrating harder. Had what he heard just been a trick of the mind?

Riza watched him, wondering what in the world the man was trying to do. "Sir-" He shushed her quickly, taking a step further into the room, finally giving into having to cover the lower half of his face with an arm. The scents in the room prickled at his eyes, making them water. He blinked away the liquid and forced himself to ignore everything but that one sound. It most definitely hadn't fit amongst the cacophony of wails and scratches against thinning bars of steel.

They waited for something to happen. Waited for the Colonel to find what he was looking for. But still there was nothing-

Wait... _There!_

Silently Mustang signaled his team to follow him as he traversed between cages, dodging swipes and biting jaws as they made their way to the back of the room. A lone cage sat away from the others, remarkably smaller but newer and in slightly better condition than the rest. Once again a small groan was heard and this time all of them heard it.

Breda and Falman carefully squatted so they could peer into the low-ceilinged cage. Darkness swelled heavily in the far side of it and they almost missed the figure laying in the back. If it hadn't been for the heavy breathing and groans of pain, they would have missed them completely.

"H-Hello?" Fuery stammered nervously.

"Who-" The figure croaked out weakly before falling into a fit of coughs. It didn't matter. That was all they had to hear to know who this was. Relief filled them at varying degrees and immediately they raced to get him out.

His subordinates stepped out of the way as Roy aimed and snapped his fingers. Flames licked away at the metal until it sank to the floor in a molten red goo. It quickly cooled as it touched the icy stone floor.

Without wasting a moment, careful of the once metal lock sticking upward haphazardly eerily resembling a claw on the floor, Riza crawled inside the cage and wiped the familiar sandy-blond locks out of tightly-shut eyes. Pale skin rippled as the muscles beneath shivered from the cold. Once healthy with toned muscles, now weak and malnourished.

"Alphonse. Al look at me." Hawkeye asked quietly as she carefully tried to turn the boy over to face them. Like a rag doll his body followed her guided movements without resistance. His face was dirty, matching his rumpled clothing. It looked like he hadn't been able to take a proper shower in quite a while.

Slowly hazel orbs cracked open. As a whole they released a breath they hadn't known they'd been holding. At first he looked in their general direction, a hazy film obscuring his vision enough for him to be unable to recognize these people. Then sudden they popped open and a renewed light flickered uneasily in his wary eyes.

"Is this a dream?" The boy breathed, glancing to each of the faces he had caught glimpses of in his tantalizing dreams. False hopes and desperate wishes of being rescued chased him in both his waking hours and as he slept.

His whole demeanor changed and his eyes closed as he released a shaky breath. "This has to be a dream. Like all the rest..."

Riza looked over her shoulder, receiving shrugs at her concerned look. With a sigh she turned back to the broken child in front of her and decided that she would have to think of another way to convince him this was real. That this was not a dream. Being an Elric, he would probably be stubborn enough to stick to his current belief this was a false reality. That when he woke up again he would still be alone in his hell-born captivity.

_'Well,'_ She thought as she came up with an idea. A smile formed on her lips. _'If he won't believe words, then this will be sure to pull him out of his little shell.'_

Hawkeye reached over and pulled Alphonse into her arms, all the while noting how small he had become. Just how often had he been fed? When was the last time he had water? Worry for Al's life made her hold the teen tighter and her eyes even began to water.

_'No,'_ Riza shook her head, a determined look appearing as she pulled him all the way out. _'It's not over yet.'_

The other watched curiously as she readjusted her grip on Alphonse. Wait a sec. Why was she holding his ankles-

"Lieutenant!" Roy blurted out in shock as the woman flipped the sudden awake and flailing teen upside down like a bully dumping out a poor kid's lunch money from their pockets. Al yelped, feeling nauseous at the continuous up and down jerking.

"Okay! Okay, this is real! Just put me down please!" Al pleaded. Smiling triumphantly, Riza complied, lowering him to his hands and letting him walk out before gently dropping his feet to the floor. He laid there for a few moments, catching his breath and forcing down the bile that was threatening to rise every five to six seconds.

Yes. He was counting.

Falman helped him to his shaky feet as Fuery ran out to get a medic. Returning with one quickly, they all stood back as he was inspected. The medic turned and saluted, reporting the results, "Other than being under fed, slightly dehydrated, and exhausted, Mr. Elric is fine. However this is only preliminary. I would highly suggest transporting him to a hospital for further inspection."

Roy nodded. "Thank you Sergeant. Relay the results to the doctor outside and arrange a car to take him to a-"

"No!"

Heads turned in the direction of the voice. Breda was helping to support the tired teen, a thin arm over his shoulder, one of his own arms behind Al's back gripping his other side. From the way he flinched slightly when Breda fixed his grip, he must have a bruise there. It made the Colonel wonder how many more were hidden beneath his clothes.

Al shook his head and said, "I'm not leaving until we find Brother." Navy met caramel. Roy sighed in resignation. A fire burned in those eyes, mirroring the spirit of determination as thick and hard as steel. Only in Edward had he seen this flame in which he could not control. Not with his alchemy and most certainly not with words. There would be none, in any order, strong enough to budge either of the Elrics once they had their hearts set on a goal. However, Alphonse was still weak and needed medical attention.

Perhaps a compromise would suffice.

"Fine, you can wait at the medical station outside." Mustang spoke with finality. He refused to cave into the challenging look Al gave him and finally won as the teen sank in mild defeat. The only thing keeping him from yelling back was the fact he wouldn't be shipped off until he was reunited with his brother. That alone made the rest seem okay. For now he would just have to go with the flow. It wasn't like he had much of a choice. Even if he had the strength to get past them and search for his brother, he knew it would be suicide, with all of the experiments going on...

As he was guided out of the room, Al paused and looked over his shoulder. "Please find Brother and bring him back safe. I don't know exactly what's going on here and it's been far too long since I've seen him – I'm afraid to think what's become of him – but no matter what, please help him."

And then he was gone, leaving a group of confused and worried soldiers behind.

Within minutes they were ready to move on. A few soldiers were stationed to scout the room for anything of use to them and their search, but nothing came up as they left the room. If anything were to be found, they would be alerted immediately.

Colonel Mustang led the way through the various narrow corridors. Breda and Havoc would quietly as possible kick open doors they would come across and Falman would back up Mustang and Hawkeye as they entered the rooms, armed and ready for anything. Including an ambush.

Countless sets of eyes glowed from the darkness. Lights from above flickered their dull lighting as they fought to grasp the little electricity making it through their frayed and exposed wires. Some had already died out long ago, leaving an eerie air about the room.

Growls and clicks became louder, chimeras of all different shapes and sizes approaching. Some were curious, others were protective. The ones up front dripped thick strings of saliva from their agape mouths, slipping through impossibly sharp teeth. None of them looked friendly.

Humans had hurt them, created them, destroying their reality and ripping through their very being just to thrust them into this Hell. A few of the newer chimeras seemed sleeker, more in control of themselves, as if there was progress in the creation of these monstrosities. These sins against nature.

"Sir," Riza breathed, the grip on her cocked gun tightening. Roy glanced around the room, a look of pity flashing across his eyes before being replaced by a cold, uncaring mask.

"Get behind me." He ordered smoothly and his subordinates didn't hesitate to follow. They knew what he was going to do, with the way he held up his hand and pressed his thumb and middle finger together. They turned away at the snap and pressed an arm over their mouth and nose as the room burned. Screeches and cries engulfed the room, tearing into their ears and engraving a deep abyss in their minds.

"Let's go. Finding Fullmetal is our top priority." Roy said as he left the room. Fuery was the last to leave, closing the door behind him. His wide, black eyes watered as he tried to push out the sights, sounds, and smells from just moments ago, but to no avail. All he could think about were the deaths behind the door he was leaning against. Though they had not been human, he had always had a soft spot in his heart for animals, big or small, and it seemed even suffering chimeras.

He took a deep, shuttering breath, trying to calm himself. It wasn't until a voice spoke to him that he became aware of his surroundings once again. "Fuery, are you alright?" Wine red eyes gazed at him softly. Suddenly he realized just how tired she looked and wondered how often she had to witness death. Perhaps not always by the Colonel's hands, literally, but by either others or even herself.

"It's better that he did that for them. Otherwise they would either eventually of die starvation or the military would've gotten their hands on them and dissected them." She took a deep breath, forcing a smile. "It's best they have a swift death. From what I understand, Chimeras are imperfect creations that suffer from pain because of being forcefully combined."

Fuery looked up at her then the others behind her. The Colonel was the only one looking away. "It was a merciful thing to do." And she left it at that. The Sergeant nodded slowly and pushed off the door. They had to move on. They couldn't let this hold them down.

Heels clicked lightly against the smooth linoleum floors. According to Falman's quiet murmurs, unwilling to speak any louder to break the uncomfortable silence, they were nearing the unlabeled area.

Mustang and Hawkeye approached the door, the others holding their guns out, cocked and ready to fire. Nodding to each other, they kicked open the door and took the lead entering the room-

-stopping dead in their tracks.

Several tubes sat on small bases along one side of the room, a counter stretching from one side to the other on the opposite side. Across the room from them was a door with yellow and black stripes. Something about this room gave them each the chills, and they couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

"Alright men, time to move! Find Fullmetal!" Roy ordered, leading the way. Edward was not getting away from him again. He lead them to the large door across the room. A soldier played with the padlock and all tensed when it hissed, opening up to another room, this one shrouded in darkness. The two pairs of large, glowing eyes instantly made them pale. Some even fainted as sharp, feral teeth were exposed in a deep growl that shook them to their core.

Roy regained himself and stepped forward, ready to put an end to this. Just as he raised his hand, the creature went silent.

"Sir! Uh-um-I-I think you might w-want to look at this!" A Private stuttered, backing away from the only active tube. Roy took a step back, noting with curiosity the large beast did the same, easing its way back into the shadows where only a hint of its presence could be guessed.

Roy walked over to the tube, continuously glancing back at the other room. He didn't trust it not to surge forward and snap its knife-like incisors at them.

"I-It moved!" The Private exclaimed, finally tearing the Colonel's attention away from the beast and to the over-sized test tube. What he saw in the smeared away condensation nearly made his heart stop.

A pair of glazed over golden eyes, partially covered by thin eyelids, stared back at them.

"Edward!"

* * *

Alrighty then! The results for the poll!

As of Monday October 26th, 2009 65% of voters voted for Aquamarine to be my main focus! I'm sorry, for those who like this story. However, this story got second place, so once Aquamarine is finished, I'll be focusing on this story if there are enough votes, as I will put up another poll similar to the one that was up for the past two, three? weeks. This will be the last update in a while, but I'll update when I can. I'm not giving up on this one completely, just remember that I won't be focusing on this one. If I do get the proper motivation, I may be able to type up some more chapters and post them, hopefully soon.

Thanks again for voting!

Please be kind and review. Thank you! ^^


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